We noticed that you're using an unsupported browser. The TripAdvisor website may not display properly.We support the following browsers:Windows: Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome. Mac: Safari.

It was my first trip to Mauritius and my expectations of hotels and their amenities were influenced by what one sees on photos and travel brochures. In short, my expectations of this resort were pretty high!

The resort is located just a short way (about 1,5km) out of the charming Grand Baie and, true to its description on Booking.Com, enjoys fabulous views across the Bay. Fortunately, we had rented a small car to enjoy the island properly without having to rely on the limited public transportation on the island or shuttles. We had booked ourselves one of the double rooms with sea view in the new portion of the hotel, which is separated from the main property. To access this part of the resort, however, with numerous baggage items, was a bit of a mission as one has to, literally, walk a couple of metres along the beach to get there. Not too much of a problem for us, but I was wondering about other people (with disabilities, for instance) for whom it may pose some challenges.

The reception area is very friendly but I found the reception staff to be less than friendly. We were not made to feel that welcome and this friendly island. We checked in and were requested to pay a breakage deposit. This was not mentioned on any of my reservation documents but, as it is fairly common throughout the world, I had no problem handing over my credit card for them to charge against. Then, most unexpectantly, the card does not work and I was "demanded" cash, which I did not yet have available on me at that point. We were admitted, nonetheless, and I was made to "promise" to bring the breakage deposit in cash later. I broke that promise as I felt a little ill-treated by the front-of-house gang (but I did have my fingers crossed behind my back at the time of the "promise"!).

We were assigned a fairly spacious and tastefully decorated room with large balcony on the first floor of the new building with superb views over the bay and a charming sandy beach and beautiful pool in front of it. The television had only one watchable channel, CNN, and the other channels were snowy with no proper sound. Our bath did not drain properly as the bath plug was constantly jammed. So, a few things that started to irritate me somewhat.

As ardent water sport fans, we were looking forward to utilise some of the amenties on offer (the hotel boasts "watersports" in its brochure). Well, to my shock and horror, the "watersports" on offer were pitiful. I enquired about a windsurfer; there was none. I enquired about a sailing dinghy or catamaran; there was none. Alongside the "boathouse", there were some paddle skis and a ski boat was moored just off the beach. But, one could only ski or tube on that boat on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10:00 to 12:00. What if conditions for skiing were better at 09:00 or 13:00? Very disappointing!

Breakfast was included in our room rate but nothing to write home about. The choice of items was limited and the service by the restaurant staff was not friendly at all. Very strange for a country that is known to have friendly people. We did not bother to have dinner at the resort and opted for the wide variety of cuisine available in Grand Baie and surroundings.

All in all, an average resort and average holiday experience. Fortunately there are numerous other attractions on the island that made up for the unfortunate experience we had at this resort. We won't be back!

Room Tip: Choose to stay at the new part of the hotel with sea views.

See more room tips

Stayed March 2013, traveled as a couple

Value

Location

Sleep Quality

Rooms

Cleanliness

Service

Helpful?

1Thank MC_Hammen

Report

Ask MC_Hammen about Ocean Villas

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

We stayed at Ocean Villas 10 - 17 August 2013. One could really write two reviews for this hotel as their is a very distinctive split between the old and new sections. The new part of the hotel is a little further up the beach and is not only more private but also has new, contemporary rooms and better views and pools. (Rooms 301 to 314). The rooms and gardens in the old part of the hotel appear to be quite run down and personally I wouldn't stay in that section. Staff on the whole were great (even though this has been mentioned as a negative in several reviews). The exception to this is the slightly abrasive elderly couple who seem to manage (possibly own) the hotel. We had breakfast every day which was nice although very repetitive over a week. (The breakfast chefs are particularly warm and friendly though and do their best to make sure you get what you want.) The water sports were a disaster as the boat was broken and no alternative arrangement had been made. They are also very badly equipped (kayaks with broken paddles etc.) This is definitely not the place to stay if you want to play on the bay. You should also know that the hotel is quite far from Grand Baie town. You can walk (we did the first day) but there are no pavements and hectic traffic so it is quite nerve-wracking, much better to take the super-cheap and very reliable local bus which stops right outside the hotel. (Don't bother with taxis as they cost a fortune.) You can also take the bus to the shopping centres or the nearby villages. I'm not sure if we would stay here again but apart from the water sports I thought it was fair value and quite convenient. NB If you are going to Mauritius in winter, definitely stay on the other side of the bay as the prevailing winds hit the Ocean Villas beach head on.

Room Tip: Ask for the new section on the beach.

See more room tips

Stayed August 2013, traveled as a couple

Value

Location

Sleep Quality

Rooms

Cleanliness

Service

Helpful?

1Thank Tricia S

Report

Ask Tricia S about Ocean Villas

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

This hotel is really nice and relaxed. We stayed here for a week in July and it was really peaceful with very few guests. The restaurant serves nice food and the beach is really clean and private. We had a self catering villa which was HUGE! Could do with a little updating though, cracked windows, doors which don't shut easily. Overall, nice place to stay with friendly and helpful staff.

Stayed July 2013, traveled as a couple

Value

Location

Sleep Quality

Rooms

Cleanliness

Service

Helpful?

Thank MiaandHunts

Report

Ask MiaandHunts about Ocean Villas

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

This is just an average beach hotel. Had a contemporary room and it was clean. Food was good in the Restaurant. Close to many good restaurants in Grand Baie. Staff were friendly and nice. Beach is okay.

Stayed May 2013, traveled as a couple

Value

Location

Sleep Quality

Rooms

Cleanliness

Service

Helpful?

2Thank Missy A

Report

Ask Missy A about Ocean Villas

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Positives:- Well trained staff, though many are unfriendly.- Beautiful private beach- Average water sports (skiing 3 times per week - only 10 mins per time)- Nice comfortable, though not "luxury" villas.- Brilliant restaurant, lovely setting (Food did get boring after a while)- Okay pool area

Negatives:- Small beach, which fills up very quickly.- Villas were clean and nice - but do not come here for a luxury getaway. - Some unfriendly staff (don't get me wrong - some of the staff are very friendly)- Value for money was lacking.- Water sports were below par.- Lack of pool lounger (or a sufficient number of loungers) in the pool area.- The outside of the villas looms old, and dated.

This hotel is perfect if you are looking for a basic, comfortable family getaway, but for a bit more you could stay at the beautiful La Cannonier or Club Med which have a HUGE array of activities and water sports.

Stayed December 2012, traveled with family

Value

Location

Sleep Quality

Rooms

Cleanliness

Service

Helpful?

1Thank GregKeal

Report

Ask GregKeal about Ocean Villas

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Have just come back after a 2 week stay where we met up with our best friends who live in Perth, Australia.They had stayed here before and recommended this hotel and they were spot on. Upon arrival at the airport after horrendous flights from Emirates, the car was there from the hotel to pick us up. "Oh great" we thought, it's raining and we have just left snow behind in the UK! The journey was well over an hour to the hotel where we were met by polite reception staff who gave us flannels and a cold drink. We had booked the new contemporary room on the beach, these were located right on the beach, 6 in total with their own private pool. They were adults only - bonus! The room was fantastic, beautifully presented and the bathroom was a knock out. In addition there was an outside shower and sunken bath - really unusual. The room was spacious, clean and have everything you need: bath plus shower, wet room type shower, his and her sinks, hairdryer, small fridge, kettle, cutlery for 2 and a TV. What I will say is that the TV only had one English speaking channel and that was a news channel that was SO repetitive. I am someone who likes to watch a bit of TV before going to sleep and this was geared for French speakers not English. We were booked in bed and breakfast only so can only comment on the breakfast. This was fine, yes it was the same every day, but there was a good selection of hot and cold food and I loved having a yoghurt with freshly cut pineapple in it with a couple of pancakes to follow. Everyone else had full cooked variety and none of us had any complaints over breakfast. I know it has already been mentioned by others about ants and insects and birds but you have to remember where you are, these things are inevitable. We had the best 2 weeks, we found some lovely restaurants, went to some lovely places and had really good fun. I have read about taxis being expensive but we never found that, we would get the local bus to Sunset Boulevard and get a taxi back at night at a cost of 200 rupees (approx. £5). The local bus was an experience in itself and we also got the express bus to Port Louis which was hilarious. We went on 2 fishing charters and my Husband's dream came true when he and his best friend caught a 300 lb black marlin. We also went to Casela where we had the interaction with the lions which was excellent and well worth a visit. We also spent the day at the opening day of the horse racing season and again had really good fun. My favourite place was a public beach, I think it was called Mon Choicy but we called it Choosy beach - the most beautiful beach which served fantastic food. We went on the glass bottomed boat there and went snorkelling which was good and had fun bartering with the sellers on the beach. Our favourite restaurant and would definitely recommend the Happy Rahja Indian restaurant located by the Super U supermarket. Easily the best Indian food we have ever had and at a decent price.We hired a car and had the most hysterically funny time getting lost and getting a flat tyre in a location that we really shouldn't have been in - the police kindly came to our aid and gave us an escort to the station to change the tyre and then took us to the road we were supposed to be on!There are not many negatives about the hotel, namely the lack of TV channels for us Brits and the wet room set up needs attention as the drainage is poor, the slope to this was not enough as the bathroom kept flooding every time we used it. The water went from freezing cold to scalding hot and there were a number of times we had no water at all. I think the hotel shut the water off and we had to keep phoning them to say we had no water - that was the biggest negative that needs addressing. The view from our bedroom was magnificent and we spent every evening on the patio with our friends chatting and laughing about our adventures. The weather was fantastic apart from one rainy day but it did not ruin our stay at all.I would recommend this hotel to anyone, personally I would not return only because the flights were so bad I swore I would NEVER fly long distance economy class again as they were just dreadful, that is the only reason for my non return. If I could afford to upgrade our flights I would go back tomorrow as it is paradise.

Room Tip: Use public transport, mix with the locals see the real Mauritius.

See more room tips

Stayed March 2013, traveled with friends

Value

Location

Sleep Quality

Rooms

Cleanliness

Service

Helpful?

3Thank tokar

Report

Ask tokar about Ocean Villas

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

We stayed 8 nights in a Pool Contemporary Room, which was very nice, newly refurbished, and with the pool just of our terrace. A quite pool area since it was adults only, the Beach it self was only a few metres away, again privately for adults. The hotel has another pool and Beach for Families with kids. The Room was well kept and had all you needed. The Restaurant do have an Ant problem, which they seriously need to look into. But other than that we had a perfect stay. The Hotel is located a bit from Grand Baie, but you will find a few good Restaurants near to the Hotel. Grand Baie looks in some places like a Holiday Resort area that once was, with lots of closed shops, bars and Restaurants, but the two Shopping Malls makes it up for the shopping.

Stayed March 2013, traveled as a couple

Value

Location

Sleep Quality

Rooms

Cleanliness

Service

Helpful?

1Thank Kenneth_Pedersen

Report

Ask Kenneth_Pedersen about Ocean Villas

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Expedia, Hotels.com, Booking.com, Orbitz, Travelocity, Priceline, TripOnline SA, Agoda and Cheap Tickets so you can book your Ocean Villas reservations with confidence. We help millions of travelers each month to find the perfect hotel for both vacation and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.

Also Known As:

Ocean Villas Hotel Grand Baie

Ocean Hotel Grand Baie

Ocean Villas Mauritius/Grand Baie

Is This Your TripAdvisor Listing?

Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.